News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-03-03
DISAPPOINTED COLONIsTs.
MIR. Nichols's Experience in Owens's So
cialisIic Settlement.

SAN FRANcIsco. number of colo
nists from Owens's Socialistic settlement,
at Topolbampo in the State of Sanaloa
Mexico, arrived in this city Sunday
| night on the steamer Newbern. Johr
| W. Nichols, one of their number, from
New York, tells the story of his eXpe
rience, which detracts somewhat from
| the glowing descriptions of life on the
shores of the Gulf of California that have
been so freely printed in the East. Fer
tile soil. magnificent harbor, lovely eli
mate = all were pictured so seduct1vely
| that it is no wonder that intelligent men
and women were carried away and in
| duced to make move which they will
| repent all their lives Instead OF the
soil being fertile, Mr.. Nichols says terse-
| ly that the site chosen for New Jerusa-
| lem for the Socialists consists of nothing
is entirely of the cactus family. There
is no fertile land of any extent within 30
miles of the Getty" The locality is so
slightly elevated above the sea level,
too, that at every high tide it is
covered with water, and at low tide
900 acres of mud are exposed, sending
up a cloud of malarial exhalations which
is anything but conducive to health.
Although the colonists have been locat-
ed there for some time, there is as yet
no growing crop of any kind beyond a
little patch of garden sauce which
might at pinch afford mouthful to
each of 400 or 500 deluded mortals who
are brOiling under the sun on a sandy
waste. There is just one building in
the entire town, if such by courtesy it
may be termed. This is a rough board
structure, dignifed by the name of Al
bertin Hall, and which a thrifty New
England farmer Juld hardly think fit
shelter for his horses. All The people
there are living in tents, and while that
method in life is sometimes not altogeth-
er without its advantages, STILL as a
regular thing, it may as well be admit
ted to have some drawbacks: As to the
harbor, concerning which so much has
been said, it is so shallow that none but
vessels of the lightest draught can enter
it, and Nichols and his companion had
to wade over half a mile in water almost
knee deep in order to reach q small
boat that took them to deep water TO
catch the steamer. When Mr. Nichols
started for Topolobampo from New
York he fell in with a party of enthusi-
astic colonists from Maine, and they
travelled together
When they reached Guaymas an agent
from fopolobampo met them and levied
an assessment for the purpose of procur-
ing food. They all contributed, the
sums advanced varying from S. to 500
and a goodly supply of provisions was
purchased. AS soon as they reached the
sand and cactus patch where the canvas
city is situated, they found that they
were to be assessed twenty-five cents
apiece for meals; but, to counterbalance
this, they were allowed credit ''on
books" of s. a day for labor performed.
That none of them will become wealthy
from this source, however, is shown By
tie fact that so far ali the work done
has been confined to road making and
en- attempt at grading bed for railroad
tracks. This latter is progressing so
rapidly that it is possible. if all hands
turn to and work real hard, that in the
course of five years or so as much as
mile or a mile and q quarter may be
constructed In the work Mr.. Nichols
says that the whole scheme is fraud of
the first water. The colonists will be
obliged to depend entirely upon outside
sources for their food supplies, and if
for any reason these cease or do not
come regularly, much suffering must
ensue, There are many there who would
only be too glad to get away if they
could but who are not so fortunate as
to be possessed of enough means to pay
for steamer passage.